Woman's Board of Missions: History

History of the Woman's Board of Missions:

The WBM was founded in 1871 for the purpose of finding a female teacher for the girls at our mission station in Pohnpei, Micronesia. During the 13 years it took to find Annette Palmer, the WBM founded kindergartens and girls’ schools, reached out to immigrants and Hawaiian women as well with the Gospel and language learning. Our first president, Clara Brewster Bingham, was the daughter-in-law of pioneer missionaries to Hawaii Rev. Hiram and Sybil Bingham; she also was a missionary to the Gilbert Islands. The Woman’s Board of Missions for the Pacific Islands has been ministering to missionaries in the field and neighbors at home ever since.